Tri-C appoints dean for humanities

Matthew Carey Jordan has been named dean for humanities at The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College following a national search.

Jordan will provide the leadership and guidance to further develop the center into a national model for engagement in the humanities, according to a Tri-C news release. He has served as director of the University Honors Program and deputy dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama.

The position serves as a homecoming for Jordan, who grew up in Hudson. He’ll join Tri-C in August and said he is excited to work with students in the Mandel Scholars Academy; Mandel Center faculty and staff; and community partners in the public and private sectors.

“It is a tremendous honor to be selected for this position,” Jordan said in the release. “I am humbled and delighted to be able to come home to Cleveland and be part of what’s happening in humanities education at Tri-C.”

The Humanities Center, located on Tri-C’s Eastern Campus in Highland Hills, was created to offer a unique liberal arts learning environment to cultivate civically responsible citizens who will lead Northeast Ohio toward a stronger future.

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Mandel Supporting Foundations awarded $10 million to the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation in 2015 to establish the center and endow the chair for humanities/dean position.

Prior to his administrative roles at Auburn Montgomery, Jordan served as a member of the philosophy faculty at the university. He previously taught at Quincy University, Capital University and The Ohio State University.

Jordan is a national leader in honors education, publishing and presenting widely in the discipline as well as in the areas of ethics and philosophy of religion, the release stated. He has also served as conference referee for several national philosophy conferences and academic philosophical journals.

“Dr. Jordan has a strong background as both a faculty member and administrator promoting the value of a humanities education,” said Tri-C President Alex Johnson in the release. “I am pleased to welcome him to Tri-C to continue the crucial work of The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center in developing the next generation of leaders for our communities.”

Jordan replaces Lauren Onkey, the inaugural Mandel dean and chair, who now serves as the director of music at National Public Radio.

Jordan